Ner'zul, sent a plague to Lordaeron with the help of the converted Alliance mage, Kel'Thuzad. This plunged the kingdom into chaos, with those directly exposed to the plague dying and rising as mindless zombies or worse; survivors were forced to watch as cemeteries were laid to rest and their loved ones turned into monsters.
Arthas's Story
The Lich King soon attracted the prince of Lordaeron, Arthas, to his side. Playing masterfully, with the help of Kel "Thuzad, he convinced Arthas that he must save his people by destroying those infected with the plague. His soul was lost when he felt a powerful cursed blade in his hand. He became a death knight, killed his father in cold blood and gave the lands of Lordaeron to be torn apart by the Scourge. When the power of the Lich King began to fade, Arthas found and destroyed where the spirit of Ner'zhul was imprisoned.
Arthas felt the power of the King in himself, his and Ner'zhul's personalities merged, and Arthas took the Frozen Throne as the new Lich King. Now he is in Northrend, the place of his curse. He is not imprisoned in a glacier, like his predecessor, but he is so he commands thousands of dead people infesting the former pearl of the Alliance, Lordaeron.
Features of fighting the undead
No one knows the global plans of the Scourge, but everyone is afraid of the sudden increase in armies of the undead, the power of the powerful and liches, and attacks on their own lands. Fighting and dying a warrior's death is one thing. Continuing to fight, knowing that by killing your opponent, you do not defeat him, knowing that he will return is completely different. The Scourge is at war with everyone - the Alliance, the Horde, the Burning Legion - they are all its enemies. But even with so many opponents, she is not defeated, because every killed warrior stands under the banner of the Scourge.
This does not mean that the Scourge is invulnerable. The fight against it is what somehow unites Azeroth. A dead man can be destroyed, and any dwarf, gnome, or tauren would do so without a second thought. However, they hate having to dishonor the bodies of their kin, rendering them unfit for transformation into undead. Some cannot bring themselves to do this either for religious reasons, or they simply do not have the courage to do it - and they act stupidly. It's easier to cut off a friend's head when he's dead than when he comes back from the dead and looks into your eyes again.
The usual “killing” of the risen dead is pointless, since the necromancer can revive the corpse again, while cutting it into pieces is much more effective. A few blows with an ax and the job is done. Fire is also effective, since charred remains cannot be made into soldiers. People don’t want to return to burned fields and houses, but such a house is better than no house at all.
Paladins and Scourge
The Alliance only has a few knights Silver Hand, but these fighters have survived the darkest times and are war veterans. Symbols of mutual aid, kindness, purity and light, they were forever denigrated by the fact that the powerful Lich King who occupied the Frozen Throne was once one of them. They tried to understand where they made a mistake, why they did not see how evil struck Arthas and lured him away. If he was a true paladin like them, then he could not be cursed. Perhaps they thought too highly of paladins.
While paladins and their holy power are still a powerful weapon against the undead, they are not what they used to be. Some of them, in a furious oblivion that clouded their minds, founded the Scarlet Crusade and kill the living and the dead in their quest to destroy the Scourge. Others crossed the sea with Jaina Proudmoore to help defeat the Burning Legion and are now in Theramore. They do everything in their power to destroy the undead found in Kalimdor, but this is only crumbs compared to the Scourge armies in Lordaeron and Northrend.
Paladins are needed to defeat the Scourge, but they are not ready for this, and it is unknown how long the Alliance can wait. Reports from Lordaeron say that the Scourge's goal there is to crush the remaining pockets of resistance, destroy villages and revive the dead in all Alliance cemeteries. Essentially, she wants to turn the once most populous kingdom of Lordaeron into the kingdom of the dead.
The Scourge was created by Ner'zhul, the Lich King, under the supervision of the Burning Legion. Its main task was to sow terror and destruction in preparation for the Legion's invasion. The Lich King, reigning in the land of eternal ice, created the terrifying Plague of the Dead, which he sent south to lands of people. When the plague spread, people began to feel the voice of Ner'zhul and the weakness sucking their vitality.
Although Ner'zhul and his Scourge served the Burning Legion, the Lich King sought to free himself and take revenge on the demons for destroying his body and damning his soul. Battle of Mount Hyjal Ner'zhul lost his opportunity for revenge when Archimonde was killed and the Legion defeated... but at that moment he was finally freed and severed contact with all the demons of the Legion, as well as with their remaining master, Kil'jaeden. This step brought Kil'jaeden into an indescribable rage, and it was the demon's turn to take revenge. But, due to the defeat of the Legion, Kil'jaeden was deprived of his former power and was forced to use other ways to punish his rebellious creation.
Shortly after the Battle of Mount Hyjal, Kil "jaeden met with Illidan Stormrage and made him an offer, the refusal of which was equivalent to death: “destroy the Lich King, and you will receive part of my power." Summoning the former Highborne, and now the Naga, to As allies, Illidan went to, and began to weave a powerful spell aimed at the Frozen Throne, with the help of the Eye of Sargeras. However, this spell was interrupted at the eleventh hour by Illidan's brother Malfurion, Maiev Shadowsong and Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider.
Despite the fact that the spell was not completed, the demonic energy was enough to break through Ner'zhul's ice prison. This weakened him, and, as a result, his ability to control the undead. At this time, a large group of undead, led by Sylvanas Windrunner, felt freedom and left the Scourge, forming the Forsaken faction. In desperation, Ner'zhul contacted Arthas, the greatest of his death knights, and ordered an immediate return to Icecrown Citadel.
However, the situation became more complicated again. Irritated by Illidan's failures, Kil'jaeden ordered him, his nagas and new allies, the blood elves, to finish off the Lich King themselves. The armies of Arthas and Illidan clashed at the base of the glacier, but Illidan lost. He himself was wounded, and his troops were defeated. Arthas ascended to the throne of the Lich King, where he used the runeblade Frostmourne to free the essence of Ner'zhul. The spirit of the orc shaman merged with Arthas, and Arthas/Ner'zhul became one of the most powerful beings the world has ever known.
Four years after joining the Lich King, Arthas is still in Northrend, seemingly rebuilding Icecrown Citadel. While the state of the Scourge on the northern continent is unknown, the undead in Lordaeron at this time are under the command of Arthas' henchman, Kel "Thuzad, and continues to hold the Plaguelands from enemies. Arthas is likely planning to recapture all of the remaining Lordaeron from the Forsaken and the Alliance, and from there, perhaps , conquer the rest of the world.
Organization
Of course, the leader of the Scourge is Arthas, who sends his orders from the ice fortress in Northrend. His direct assistants are liches, undead magicians and necromancers, possessing incredible power, sowing plague and commanding armies of the dead. The total number of liches is unknown, but Arthas's "right hand" is the lich Kel "Thuzad, who temporarily rules Lordaeron, busy with the war with the Scarlet Crusade and the Forsaken. The Scourge Banshees are engaged in reconnaissance, looking for new areas to conquer, while other important members of the Scourge , necromancers, are engaged in creating and controlling armies of the dead.
The Cult of the Damned is a crazed group of mortals so fascinated by the undead that they follow them, worship them, even imitate them, hoping to one day become damned like them. Cultists do not see corruption and evil, but only power and eternal life.
Most of the dead are associated with “regional” necromancers or liches, who, in turn, are associated with Kel "Thuzad. He tells Arthas important information, but does not tire of listing all the affairs happening on the continents. Only the news that the Scourge will conquer a city the size with Stratholme or enslave the Forsaken, is worthy of reporting to the Lich King. Arthas sees the Forsaken as "lost sheep" and wants to return them to the Scourge. He has a lot to do in Azeroth, so he cannot focus only on Sylvan, and it is unknown when he will seriously take care of her and her associates.
An interesting thing about the undead is that the further they are from the necromancer or lich, the more passive they become. The dead cease to obey the Lich King, but do not become free. Once the will of a necromancer or other commander leaves them, they turn into mindless bodies, searching for someone who can control them. Only necromancers and liches can control the undead.
Arthas leads the Scourge in Northrend from the Frozen Throne, these creatures have infested the entire Icecrown. The second stronghold of the Scourge is in Lordaeron, in the city of Stratholme, Arthas's first conquest. It was a thriving city of 25,000 people, but is now destroyed. There are almost no survivors here, only fanatics of the Cult of the Damned and necromancers, as well as a small group of Scarlet Crusade. The northern and eastern lands of Lordaeron are captured by the Scourge. Even the air there is permeated with their stench. The Scourge is present in other parts of the world as well, spreading through Khaz Modan and even as far west as Kalimdor. Arthas wants to keep abreast of all events, and he has the means to do this.
→ WoW WotLK – Scourge and ArthasThe story in WOW Scourge is quite interesting and touches on events that happened recently in Azeroth. The destruction that the Scourge brought to these lands was simply enormous. The human state of Lordaeron completely fell due to the betrayal of its prince Arthas Menethil, who became the new Lich King after Ner'zhul himself. But where did this wow whip come from? After all, Arthas did not create it and, oddly enough, it was not even Ner’zhul who was the original creator of the Death Knights. Let's look into this issue.
History of appearance
In wow wotlk we already see the Scourge in its final and formed form. Army, supplies, generals, buildings, etc. In general, a full-fledged nation of the dead under the control of the Lich King. But where did she come from then?
The Lord of the Burning Legion, Sargeras, had a hand in creating the Scourge through the creation of the Death Knights. Yes, yes, and there is the interest of the Burning Legion. Since neither Sargeras himself nor the majority of his troops could fully enter the world of Azeroth, the Fallen Titan decided to act cunningly. He infected the orcs from Draenor with the idea of evil. Thus, turning the ordinary and kind race of shamans into evil creatures who only needed to kill. After Draenor broke into several parts, Sargeras began to influence the leader of the most powerful orc tribe - Gul'dan. It was this orc who led the first Horde through the Dark Portal into Azeroth. And there Gul'dan learned to summon the dead, creating Death Knights from them.
After the defeat of Gul'dan, the horde was led by Ner'zhul and Sargeras transferred to him all the powers of control of the Death Knights. At this point, the wow whip began to appear in some form. For after the next defeat of the Horde, Ner’zhul wanted to control the Scourge on his own and moved to the Northrend mainland, where he began to gradually create his own army. Sargeras found him there and completely destroyed his body, trapping his spirit in his sword and helmet. Thus, Ner'zhul began to lead the Scourge with the power of his thoughts exactly until the moment when a rare thing - the Frostmourne sword - fell into the hands of Arthas.
New Lich King
The events that affect world of warcraft wotlk are the final point of Arthas’ reign. And after the young prince returned from Northrend with victory, he followed to his father's throne room. The people of Lordaeron happily welcomed their prince. They did not yet know that he had changed once and for all. In the throne room, Arthas killed his father and became the new ruler of Lordaeron. He ordered his main Death Knights to kill everyone they see. It was a terrible day for people, but in wow the whip began to dominate in these lands. If you downloaded the Warcraft client during the pre-release week, you could see how the Scourge attacked all the major cities of the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor.
To save the human and other races from complete enslavement by the Scourge, the Alliance and Horde joined forces and went to Northrend. Step by step they approached Icecrown Citadel, where the Lich King was located. By the way, on the entrance screen of the warcraft client “Wrath of the Lich King” this Citadel is in the background. The entire gaming community really liked the idea of such a strong “common enemy”, for the sake of which the Horde and the Alliance joined forces in WWII.
Naturally, the forces of good won, and the Lich King was completely defeated. More precisely, Arthas was defeated, and Bolvar became the new Lich King. For someone needs to control the Scourge. Perhaps in future addons we will see a new Lich King on the splash screen of the warcraft client.
That's how the story ended in the wow add-on wotlk. According to many players, from a technical and "epic" point of view, this addon was the best. Since even in the Warcraft strategy, many players fell in love with the story of this character.
Now, if you find yourself in Northrend, the warcraft game client will show you a splash screen depicting Bolvar in his new guise as the Lich King.
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Good afternoon. Today we will talk to you about one very extensive... ahem... faction, which is represented by the enemy of the players and, unfortunately, is not playable. Nevertheless, it had a huge impact on World of Warcraft and is worthy of a separate analysis. Today we will talk about the Scourge...
Background.
The idea of creating an army of undead, now better known as the Scourge, originated with one of the commanders of the Burning Legion when he was contemplating a second attack on Azeroth. Later, having carefully weighed and calculated everything, the plan for the formation of the Scourge began to be implemented. The undead had to crush the main defense forces of Azeroth before the attack of the Burning Legion, thereby leaving no chance for the defenders. The creation of the scourge was entrusted to the then Lich King Nerzhul, who took up this task. Unfortunately for them, the lords of the Legion could not control the Scourge, only the Lich King himself could do this, but they could
command them. So, NerZhul developed a plague that killed living beings and, after death, raised them as undead, wights, obedient only to his will... Later, with the help of the former magician and now necromancer KelThuzad, the plague began to spread across the lands of the kingdom of Lordaeron, thereby increasing and replenishing the King’s army. The Scourge's mission to destroy Azeroth's defenses was successful and its numbers were growing. The Legion's military leaders themselves made a fatal mistake by launching the invasion too early. They suffered a crushing defeat in the Battle of Azeroth, thereby leaving the Scourge in the complete power of Nerzhul, and the King himself as the sole ruler.
KelThuzad later realized that there were too many feelings left in NerZhul, and he found himself a new protégé - Prince Arthas. As a result of the cunning manipulations of one of the legion's lords, Malganus, Arthas was lured from Azeroth to Northrend, where his thirst for vengeance and the demonic blade Frostmourne he found drove him mad and made him one of the greatest warriors of the Scourge - a death knight. After the defeat of the Legion, KelThuzad helped Arthas travel to the icy continent of Northrend, where the former prince merged with the mind of Nerzhul, becoming the new Lich King, even more furious and evil than before.
Five years later, the Lich King took over active actions to continue the conquest of Azeroth. The Scourge was activated on all continents and began mass raids on cities, the plague once again raging in the streets. The combined forces of the Horde and Alliance launched an invasion of Northrend in a desperate attempt to defeat Arthas/Nerzhul and prevent the destruction of their peoples. For two years there was a war with the Scourge; too many warriors fell on each side. But with titanic efforts, the Lich King was defeated. However, it turned out that without a ruler, the scourge would get out of control and a wave of death would pass across the continents, destroying all living things. There should have always been a Lich King. Bolvar Fordragon, a former paladin of Stormwind, became the new King. Perhaps now the Scourge will leave the world of the living alone... or not?
Data
Scourge Banner- consists of two crossed hammers with the symbolism of the Lions of Azeroth, beaten and broken, partially covered with ice, horizontally crossed by a frozen spear, with skulls impaled on it, which symbolize the main impact force Scourges are undead. Vertically in the foreground is the blade Frostmourne, a symbol of the power of the Lich King, a powerful rune sword of terrifying power, capable of sucking out the souls of living beings.
Number- according to various estimates, ranges from 90,000 to 150,000 warriors of all stripes. These numbers are unconfirmed, but Stormwind scientists say the last number is the most accurate. In Lordaeron alone, the Scourge collected more than 20,000 lives upon formation, and recent hostilities in Northrend made it clear that the enemy's numbers were greatly underestimated.
Damage zone.
At the moment, the continent is most susceptible to infection Northrend— in every corner you can find traces of the Scourge. Places such as Sholozar Basin, the Storm Peaks, the Howling Fjord, and the Borrean Tundra will be able to heal over time, although it will take many decades. Things are worse with the Dragonblight, but the dragons are making every effort to restore it. Zul-Drak and Icecrown are completely lost for at least the foreseeable future - the undead plague has penetrated into the soil itself, causing plant necrosis and mutation of the flora. Moreover, in these places there are still a huge number of wights that pose a serious threat. These territories are currently guarded by the Argent Vanguard.
Slightly less affected Eastern Kingdoms. Zones of the former Lordaeron are still infested with plague and undead, although a cleansing process has begun in the Eastern and Western Plaguelands. However, strongholds of the Scourge such as Stratholme, Sholomans, the Path of the Dead and others are no less dangerous and are a constant supplier of new soldiers to the Army of Corpses.
Kalimdor was affected indirectly. For example, some agents of the King of the Dead infiltrated the communities of various lower races, which led to their decay. A clear example is the Razorfen race, into which one of the Lich Kings secretly wedged itself, thereby leading to a civil war between the quilboars.
Outland was not affected.
Types of Scourge troops
Lychee- among the most powerful magicians and allies of Ner'zhul's armies, they all have an evil character and great strength. Often they 
command armies as generals and deputies of Ner'zhul when the Master is calm and does not deem it necessary to take matters into his own hands. Liches wield powerful frost and ice spells along with their own considerable knowledge of necromancy. Liches are not only former orc sorcerers of Ner “Zula, many magicians of other races have left their precarious mortal lives to experience the beauty of death. As a rule, these individuals are powerful and vicious. Not only do they serve Ner'Zhul, they also plan subtle political maneuvers that will result in them being promoted by their master, and so they seek to profit from every death of their opponent.
Death Knight— Death knights are protected by dark armor that absorbs sunlight. These warriors can summon the dead, who will immediately join the fight on their side while their allies provide support. These dark heroes are subject to death, blood and wickedness. Cold makes their strikes more precise, blood protects their body, unholy allows their fury to rage in the heart of battle. A thousand atrocities are frozen in the eyes of every death knight, and those who look into them for too long will feel the living warmth leave their body, replaced by the coldness of steel.
Butcher- Mangled bodies and limbs from many creatures are combined into a separate, twisted, disgusting form. With each step the creature takes, blood drips from it and the smell of decay is released. Butchers are large golem creatures. These magically created automata are incredibly powerful, possessing the strength of ten people (they are made up of parts of ten people). Their "construction" requires a great deal of understanding of necromancy and anatomy in order to connect the flesh and animate it. They are difficult to create, but once made, they become fanatically loyal servants and extremely powerful warriors. These huge warriors love to carve the flesh of their enemies. They use large cleavers and sickles in battle. It is a blasphemous collection of souls that have become one soul. It is certain that the abomination does not remember anything from his previous lives, although pieces of memory sometimes plague him from time to time with great stress and unusual pressure.
Gargoyle- although gargoyles, strictly speaking, are not undead, they nevertheless serve the King of the Dead to the best of their ability, and often, like hungry crows, circle over the battlefields, looking for prey. These ice-colored predators delight in the killing, and their laughter sounds like the sound of breaking ice. Gargoyles are strong, ferocious, bloodthirsty - and simply frighteningly destructive.
Banshee- were once beautiful women who were brutally killed by demons and undead. Their restless spirit remained in this world to wander around it in quiet, tortured complaints. The first banshees were the night elves who died during the first coming of the Legion, a lot of banshees also appeared from the high elves after the fall of Quel "Talas. These spirits began to be jealous of the existence of the living and deeply hate all living things. When Ner"zhul, the King of the Dead, found out about them, he gathered them and promised to give them the opportunity to take revenge on the living. Ner'zhul gave them terrible voices so that the living would finally hear their endless torment and die in the agony of these screams.
Nerubians are large, mummified creatures that look like a cross between humans and insects. Four lower arachnids 
the limbs hold up their bodies, the other two upper ones are used as arms. Some races call them "crawling spiders", others call them "walking horrors", but nerubians don't particularly care what others call them.
Ghosts- The spectral essence of people who have died due to the plague or due to some incredibly traumatic incident. Often they are those who choose to commit suicide rather than join Ner'zhul's armies; but this attempt is not always completely successful and often results in the creation of a spirit - independent of Ner'zhul's influence, and not completely dead.
Guli- the main forces of the Scourge. They are vicious creatures who have retained little of their humanity. The plague caused them to forget most of their memories, leaving only hunger and basic survival instincts. Ghouls are wild animals, practically they are the lowest form of undead existence. While they resemble a humanoid in appearance, a ghoul is easily recognized on the battlefield by its hunched posture and wild face. Even those who were close to these people during their lifetime are unlikely to recognize them as their friends and relatives; the transformation removes most of the remnants of humanity, even the voice and body features are lost forever.
Skeleton Mages- extremely dangerous dead ones, usually born independently, through their own power of desire. They are never commanded by necromancers, since they are former necromancers who have now risen to another higher level in the Dead Kingdom, uniting their souls and bodies with evil forces. When they truly master these powers, they can become liches, but for now they content themselves with physical strength and brutal dominance over other undead.
Skeleton Warriors- tall, well-built skeletons, the bones of which have a slightly silvery sheen, marking their unusual origin. They are tougher than most other skeletons and much more capable in combat. Wielding deadly weapons and clad in heavy armor, they are quite a difficult opponent for the inexperienced and are respected even among more experienced warriors. When many of them are grouped together, they can be very dangerous and persistent enemies - but this is not their natural state, this happens when a powerful necromancer commands them. Skeleton Warriors retain all their knowledge and memories until their death, but these qualities are now only a source of anger and violence. They are cunning and delight in destruction and chaos. Death will come to them later - but for now there is only revenge for them.
Zombie- The lowest form of existence among the dead, they are often overlooked due to their simplicity and lack of ambition. These undead were created from plague-infected humans, but their bodies were not as riddled with disease as those of the more powerful undead. In fact, zombies not only retain their former memories, but are also sometimes able to retain their individuality and ethics. This doesn't often help them, usually it's tormenting zombies trapped within the vicious armies of Ner'zhul.
Famous personalities
Prince Arthas- Crown Prince of Lordaeron and Knight of the Silver Hand, was the son of King Terenas Menethil II and heir to the throne. Uther the Lightbringer trained him in the arts of a paladin, and he had romantic feelings for the sorceress Jaina Proudmoore. Prince Arthas Menethil was born four years before the First War into the family of King Terenas Menethil II. The young prince grew up in a time when the lands of all of Azeroth were riddled with war, the Alliance was in turmoil, and dark clouds still loomed on the horizon. 
.While still a child, Arthas became friends with Varian Wrynn. Arthas was taught the martial arts by Muradin Bronzebeard himself, brother of the dwarven king Magni Bronzebeard. Arthas succeeded in this endeavor and became an expert swordsman. Under the patronage of Uther the Lightbringer, Arthas joined the Order of the Knights of the Silver Hand at the age of 19.
At 23, Arthas and Uther were sent to Stranbrad to defend the city from Orc raids. Jaina and Captain Luke Valonfort were sent as reinforcements for Arthas, who was already 23 years old; together they were to investigate the mysterious Plague. Fighting an army of the dead, they met the necromancer Kel'Thuzad near the town of Brill and pursued him all the way to Andorhal.
Kel'Thuzad had already infected all the grain stored in Andorhal and sent it to the nearby villages. Before his death at the hands of Arthas, Kel'Thuzad spoke of Mal'Ganis, who was leading the Scourge. Jaina and Arthas went north to fight him in Stratholme. Upon arrival in Stratholme, Arthas discovered that the grain had already been distributed among the inhabitants of the city and realized , that soon they would all turn into the living dead. He ordered Uther and his knights to destroy the entire city. Horrified by what he heard, Uther condemned Arthas, saying that he would not have carried out such an order even if Arthas had been “at least three times king.” Accusing Uther of treason, Arthas disbanded the Knights of the Order of the Silver Hand. Several of his knights remained with Uther, as did Jaina. The remaining knights helped Arthas in exterminating the infected townspeople.
As soon as the young prince began to destroy the inhabitants of Stratholme, Mal'Ganis himself appeared before him, trying to take the souls of the townspeople. Arthas tried to destroy the people before their souls fell into the clutches of Mal'Ganis. Eventually, Arthas challenged the Dreadlord to single combat. However, Mal'Ganis slipped away, promising to meet Arthas in Northrend. Arthas pursued him with the rest of his army. A month later, he arrived in Blade Bay. While the prince and his men were searching appropriate place for the camp, the troops came under fire from the dwarves from the explorers' guild, as they could not recognize them and were simply mistaken. Arthas was shocked to meet his good friend and former mentor Muradin Bronzebeard. At first, the dwarf thought that Arthas had arrived on the continent to save Muradin and his people, who were surrounded by an army of undead while searching for the legendary rune sword Frostmourne. Arthas said that the meeting was just a coincidence. Together they destroyed the nearby undead camp, but found no trace of Mal'Ganis.
Having passed through the ancient gates, Arthas, Muradin and a small detachment of warriors found themselves very close to the legendary blade. Arthas soon encountered the Guardian, who tried to prevent the young prince from going to Frostmourne. The Guardian fell, and Arthas and Muradin received their well-deserved reward. However, after reading the runes, Muradin reported that the sword was cursed and begged Arthas to leave everything as it was, forget about the sword and quickly take his people back to Lordaeron. Arthas was adamant, he called on the spirits of the cave to free the sword from its icy prison, assuring that he would “give everything or pay any price if only the spirits would allow him to protect his people.” When the sword was freed from its icy shackles, Muradin was hit by a rebounding shard of ice, but Arthas felt no remorse. He took Frostmourne and returned to camp, leaving Muradin to die.
With the enchanted sword in his hands, Arthas defeated all of Mal'Ganis' servants and finally met him face to face. Mal'Ganis reported that the voice that Arthas began to hear belonged to the King of the Dead. Despite this, to the demon's surprise, Arthas replied that the voice was calling him to destroy Mal'Ganis. Having killed the Lord of Terror, Arthas went north, leaving his troops. Soon Arthas lost the last remnants of his sanity.
Several months later, Arthas returned to Lordaeron, which rejoiced at the return of its champion, the conqueror of the undead. Entering the throne room, Arthas fell to his knee before the throne of his father, King Terenas. However, he then rose up, drew Frostmourne, and killed his stunned father with it.
Ner'zhul- originally the supreme shaman of the orcs of Draenor. A long time ago, when the orcs had never heard of the human world, the commander of the Burning Legion, Kil'jaeden, came to Ner'zhul. The demon saw that the shaman was very capable of magic, and endowed Ner'zhul with the power to command the flow of magical energy, in exchange for devotion Legion: Ner'zhul helped the demons fight the draenei living in Draenor, 
but soon the shaman began to understand that the orcs were becoming only pawns in the big game of the Legion's demons. Kil'jaeden, realizing that Ner'zhul no longer wanted to help the Legion, but had his own plans, chose a new representative of the orc race - Ner'zhul's student, Gul'dan. Gul'dan gained even greater demonic strength and power. Fearing for his life, Ner'zhul went into the shadows, and his name was not mentioned again in either the First or Second Wars with the Alliance.
Enraged by the defeat of the orcs and the destruction of Draenor, the demon lord tore Ner'zhul to pieces and tormented his soul for a long time in the flames. But the demon still gave Ner'zhul another chance to serve the Legion. He turned all the shaman's warriors who stepped through the portal with him into dead sorcerers - liches, revived by witchcraft, and the soul of Ner'zhul himself was forever imprisoned in a block of magic ice, inside of which the Frozen Throne was located. The demons teleported the Frozen Throne to the world of Azeroth to the snowy continent of Northrend, to an area called the Ice Crown. Along with the King of the Dead, all his loyal servants were exiled. To prevent the King from betraying the Legion again, the demons sent their faithful servants - the nathrezim, led by their leader Tichondrius - to monitor Ner'zhul's actions. Ner'zhul soon felt that his consciousness had expanded significantly, and he could sense the world of ghosts and command his faithful liches, communicating with them in a language inaudible to demons. Ten for long years Ner'zhul improved his abilities, hatching plans to take over the human world and get rid of the power of demons.
Ner'zhul created a plague inside his throne, which he decided to try on people living in Northrend. The Lich King was pleased to discover that he could calmly control the plague from his icy home and direct it wherever he wanted. Soon, all people exposed to the plague turned into the living dead, completely subservient to Ner'zhul. When all the people of Northrend were conquered, Ner'zhul continued to expand his domain. Soon, an ancient race of spider-like creatures - the Nerubians - stood in his way. However, Ner'zhul destroyed the Nerubian lords when his army descended into the depths of Azjol'Nerub - the kingdom of the spiders. The War of the Spider, as it was called, ended with the destruction of the leaders of the Nerubians, on whom the nathrezim, who helped the King of the Dead, collapsed the vaults of the caves.
Ner'zhul revived the king of spiders Anub'arak and made him his faithful servant. Studying a strange plague that turns people into zombies, a mage of Dalaran, fond of necromancy, named Kel "Thuzad" arrived in Northrend. Ner'zhul came into contact with him and recruited him for his future army - the Scourge.However, the King of the Dead left Kel'Thuzad with humanity, promising him eternal life if he served the Scourge's cause in destroying people.
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Are you fighting for your life? In vain. I already took her.
Kel'Thuzad- was one of the most promising magicians of the Kirin Tor order. In the course of his research, he more than once turned to forbidden books on dark magic and necromancy, and could not understand why such powerful tomes and forces frightened the magicians and the ruling elite of Dalaran so much. He delved deeper and deeper into dark texts and arts. But this could not continue indefinitely. His research in the field of dark magic was revealed, and he appeared before the high council of Dalaran, where a decision was made -
In honor of his previous merits, he was given one last chance. Either he stops practicing the dark arts, or he will be banished from Dalaran and the Kirin Tor. It is noteworthy that almost at the same time, CT begins to hear a voice - the call of the Lich King. It begins to sound throughout Azeroth for all those whom the Lich King (at that time still Ner'zhul) considered worthy candidates for his plans (see the creation of the scourge and the spread of the plague). KT understands that if he wants to learn even more about dark arts - this is his only chance. No one knows about them more than the Lich King. He packs his things and leaves Dalaran for Northrend. After long months of traveling across the seas and snows, he reaches the Roof of the World - as Northrend was called at that time. Presenting himself before the Lich King, he tasted the power he so strived for. He was terrified...at first. Besides, there was no turning back anyway. The King of the Dead entrusted him with a responsible task - to spread the recently developed magical plague across the lands of Lordaeron and revive the oldest Cult of the Damned. It was during this activity that Jaina Proudmoore and Arthas Menethil found him. During a short skirmish, KT is killed by Arthas, but warns that "his death will not change anything in general... when the conquest of these lands has already begun."
Later, when Arthas betrayed his homeland, his people and his father, the King of the Dead instructs him to resurrect Kel "thuzad. To do this, Arthas even desecrates the ashes of his father, who died by his own hand - he pours out the ashes, because an urn is needed under him , in order to transfer the remains of CT to the place of resurrection. This place was named the Sunwell, a shrine of the high elves, now known as the blood elves. After the resurrection, CT admits that he initially knew about his death at the hands of Arthas. Now Kel "thuzad is a lich endowed with enormous power .
Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos
After preparing for many months, Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned finally struck first, spreading a plague across Lordaeron. Uther and his fellow paladins explored the infected areas in hopes of discovering a way to stop the plague. Despite their efforts, the plague continued to spread and threatened to tear the Alliance apart.
As the ranks of the undead appeared throughout Lordaeron, Terenas's only son, Prince Arthas, took up the fight against the Scourge. Arthas succeeded in killing Kel'Thuzad, but even then, the ranks of the undead swelled with every soldier who fell defending their land. Overwhelmed and cornered by an almost unstoppable enemy, Arthas took increasingly extreme measures to defeat him. Finally, Arthas' friends warned him that he was beginning to lose his human appearance.
Arthas' fear and his methods proved to be his ultimate downfall. He tracked the plague's source to Northrend, intending to end the threat for good. But instead, Prince Arthas ultimately fell victim to the Lich King's immense power. Believing that this would save his people, Arthas raised the cursed runeblade, Frostmourne. The sword did grant him unfathomable power, but at the same time stole his soul and transformed him into the greatest of the Lich King's death knights. With his soul rejected and his sanity shattered, Arthas led the Scourge against his own kingdom. As a result, Arthas killed his own father, King Terenas, and crushed Lordaeron under the iron heel of the Lich King.
Sunwell - Fall of Quel'Thalas
Although he had defeated all the people he now viewed as enemies, Arthas was often visited by the ghost of Kel'Thuzad. The Illusive Man told Arthas that he must be resurrected for the next stage of the Lich King's plan. To restore it, Arthas had to bring Kel'Thuzad's remains to the mystical Sunwell, hidden within the eternal high elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas.
Arthas and his Scourge invaded Quel'Thalas and laid siege to the crumbling elf defenses. Sylvanas Windrunner, Silvermoon's general, put up a valiant fight, but Arthas ultimately destroyed the high elf army and made his way to the Sunwell. In a cruel gesture of his superiority, he raised the body of the fallen Sylvanas and revived in her the wraith of a banshee, cursed to live forever as an undead creature in the service of the conquerors of Quel'Thalas.
Ultimately, Arthas immersed Kel'Thuzad's remains in the sacred waters of the Sunwell. The powerful waters of Eternity were corrupted by this action, but Kel'Thuzad was reborn as a powerful lich mage. Reborn as an even more powerful being, Kel'Thuzad explained the next stage of the Lich King's plan. After this, Arthas and his army of undead moved south, not a single living elf remained in Quel'thalas. The magnificent homeland of the high elves, which had stood for over nine thousand years, no longer existed.
Return of Archimonde and Flight to Kalimdor.
Once Kel'Thuzad was resurrected, Arthas led the Scourge south to Dalaran. There, the lich would receive Medivh's powerful spellbook, and would use it to summon Archimonde to the world of Azeroth. After this, Archimonde himself would begin the final stage of the Legion's invasion. Even the wizards of the Kirin Tor could not stop Arthas' forces from stealing Medivh's book, and soon Kel'Thuzad had everything he needed to perform the ritual. After ten thousand years, the powerful demon Archimonde and his hordes appeared in the world of Azeroth. Yet Dalaran was not their final destination. Under Kil'jaeden's personal orders, Archimonde and his demons followed the Scourge into Kalimdor to destroy Nordrassil, the World Tree.
In the midst of this chaos, alone, a mysterious prophet emerged to guide the mortal races. This prophet, it turned out, was none other than Medivh, the Last Guardian, miraculously brought back to life to atone for his past sins. Medivh told the Horde and Alliance about the dangers they faced and urged them to unite. Exhausted by generations of mutual hatred, orcs and humans could not agree to this. Medivh was forced to deal with each race separately, using prophecy and cunning to lead across the seas to the legendary land of Kalimdor. Orcs and humans quickly encountered the secretive civilization of the Kaldorei.
The Orcs, led by Thrall, made a number of stops during their journey through the Steppes of Kalimdor. They lent their support to Cairne Bloodhoof and his powerful tauren warriors, as many orcs once again began to submit to the demonic bloodlust that had tormented them for generations. Thrall's greatest comrade, Grom Hellscream, even betrayed the Horde by giving in to his baser instincts. While crossing the Aschenwald Forest, Hellscream and his loyal warriors of the Warsong clan encountered ancient Night Elf Guardians. Confident that the Orcs had returned to their warlike traditions, the demigod Cenarius went out to drive out Hellscream and his Orcs. Despite this, Hellscream and his orcs overcome his army with supernatural hatred and rage and kill Cenarius and desecrate the ancient forest lands. Hellscream regained his honor when he helped Thrall defeat Mannoroth, the demon lord who cursed the entire orc race with his blood of hatred and wrath in ancient times. With the death of Mannoroch, the curse of the blood of the orcs came to an end.
While Medivh convinced the orcs and humans of the need for an alliance, the night elves fought the Legion in their own mysterious ways. Tyrande Whisperwind, the immortal High Priestess of the night elf Guardians, fought desperately to keep the demons and undead from taking the forests of Ashenvale. Tyrande realized that she needed help, and so she decided to awaken the night elf druids from their thousand-year slumber. Calling upon her ancient love, Malfurion Stormrage, Tyrande succeeded in restoring the defenses and driving out the Legion. With the help of Malfurion, nature itself rose to battle the Burning Legion and its ally the Scourge.
While searching for the sleeping druids, Malfurion found an ancient underground prison in which he chained his brother, Illidan. Convinced that Illidan will help them in the battle against the Legion, Tyrande frees him. Illidan did help them for a time, but eventually left them to pursue his own interests.
The night elves took heart and continued to fight the Burning Legion with grim determination. The Legion never stopped its desire to possess the Well of Eternity, the source of power for the World Tree - the immediate heart of the night elf kingdom. If their planned attack on the Tree had been successful, the demons would have literally destroyed the world.
Battle of Mount Hyjal
Under Medivh's influence, Thrall and Jaina Proudmoore—the leader of the human forces in Kalimdor—realized that they had to put their differences aside. The night elves, led by Malfurion and Tyrande, agreed that all three races must unite if they hoped to protect the World Tree. United by a common goal, the races of Azeroth worked together to strengthen the energy of the World Tree to the limit. Empowered with the very power of the world, Malfurion was able to unleash the wrath of Nordrassil, completely destroying Archimonde and destroying the Burning Legion's connection to the Well of Eternity. The final battle shook the continent of Kalimdor to its very roots. Unable to feed on the Well's power, the Burning Legion was defeated by the combined might of the mortal armies.
Rise of the Traitor
Warcraft 3X: The Frozen Throne
During the Legion's invasion of Ashenvale, Illidan was freed from his underground prison after ten thousand years of captivity. Although he sought to help his comrades, he quickly reverted to his true form and harnessed the energy of a powerful sorcerous artifact known as the Skull of Gul'dan. By doing this, Illidan developed his demonic abilities and greatly increased his powers. He also gained some of Gul'dan's memories—especially memories of the Tomb of Sargeras, an island dungeon that was rumored to contain the remains of the Dark Titan Sargeras.
Armed with the power and freedom to roam the world again, Illidan set out to find his own place in big scheme peace. However, Kil'jaeden appeared before Illidan and made him an offer that he could not refuse. Kil'jaeden was furious over Archimonde's defeat at Mount Hyjal, but he had bigger problems than just revenge. Sensing that his creation, the Lich King, was becoming too powerful to control, Kil'zhaden ordered Illidan to destroy Ner'zhul and end the Scourge once and for all. In exchange, Illidan would gain untold power and his true place among the remaining lords of the Burning Legion.
Illidan agreed and immediately set out to destroy the Frozen Throne, a piece of crystalline ice that housed the spirit of the Lich King. Illidan knew that he needed a powerful artifact to destroy the Frozen Throne. Using the knowledge he gained from Gul'dan's memories, Illidan decided to search for the Tomb of Sargeras and take possession of the remains of the Dark Titan. He called upon some old Highborne debts and summoned the serpentine Nagas from their dark underwater lair. Led by the cunning witch Lady Vashj, the nagas helped Illidan reach the Broken Isles, where the Tomb of Sargeras was rumored to be located.
As soon as Illidan set off with the naga, Guardian Maiev Shadowsong began hunting him. Maeve had been Illidan's jailer for ten thousand years and cherished the prospect of his return. However, Illidan outwitted Maeve and her Guardians and managed to take possession of the Eye of Sargeras despite their best efforts. With the powerful Eye in his hands, Illidan came to the ruined city of wizards Dalaran. Empowered by the woven magics of the ruined city, Illidan used the Eye to cast a devastating spell against Icecrown, the Lich King's stronghold in distant Northrend. Illidan's attack destroyed the Lich King's defenses, but tore the very roof of the world. At the last moment, Illidan's destructive spell was stopped when his brother Malfurion and Priestess Tyrande arrived to Maeve's aid.
Knowing that Kil'jaeden would not be pleased with his failure to destroy the Frozen Throne, Illidan fled to a barren dimension known as the Wastes: the last remnants of Draenor, once the home of the orcs. There he planned to escape Kil'jaeden's wrath and prepare his next steps. Having successfully stopped Illidan's magic, Malfurion and Tyrande returned home to Ashenvale Forest to keep an eye on their people. Maeve, however, did not leave so easily, and followed Illidan into the Wasteland, deciding to bring him to a fair trial.
Birth of the Blood Elves
During this time, the undead Scourge transformed Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas into the poisonous Plaguelands. There were only a few remaining Alliance resistance forces. One such group, mostly high elves, was led by the last of the Sunstrider dynasty: Prince Kael'thas. Kael, being an experienced magician himself, began to fear the defeat of the Alliance. The High Elves mourned their lost homeland and decided to call themselves Blood Elves, in honor of their fallen people. But despite their efforts to keep the Scourge at bay, they suffered greatly, being cut off from the Sunwell that fed their powers. Desperate to find a remedy for his people's racial penchant for magic, Kael did the unthinkable: he gathered all the remaining Highborne and joined Illidan and his naga in the hope of discovering a new magical source of power. The remaining Alliance command condemned the blood elves as traitors and banished them forever.
Illidan from her captivity. Settling in the Wastelands, Illidan gathered his forces for a second attempt to destroy the Lich King's Icecrown fortress.
Civil War in the Plaguelands
Ner'zhul, the Lich King, knew that his time was running out. Imprisoned within the Frozen Throne, he suspected that Kil'jaeden would send his agents to destroy him. Illidan's spell damaged the Frozen Throne; thus, the Lich King began to lose his power every day. Desperate to save himself, he summoned his greatest mortal servant: the death knight Prince Arthas.
Although his strength was being drained by the Lich King's weakness, Arthas was drawn into civil war in Lordaeron. Half of the standing undead forces, led by the banshee Sylvanas Windrunner, staged a successful coup to control the undead empire. Arthas, summoned by the Lich King, was forced to leave the Scourge under the command of his comrade, Kel'thuzad, due to the growing war throughout the Plaguelands.
Eventually, Sylvanas and her rebellious undead, known as the Forsaken, took over the ruined capital of Lordaeron and made it their own capital. Building their own stronghold beneath the ruined city, the Forsaken vowed to defeat the Scourge and drive Kel'Thuzad and his minions from their land.
Weakened, but determined to save his master, Arthas reached Northrend and encountered Illidan's naga and blood elves waiting for him. He and his Nerubian allies fought against Illidan's forces to be the first to reach Icecrown and defend the Frozen Throne.
Celebration of the Lich King
Even weakened, Arthas eventually surpassed Illidan and reached the Frozen Throne first. Using his runeblade Frostmourne, Arthas destroyed the Lich King's icy prison and thus freed Ner'zhul's enchanted helm and breastplate. Arthas placed an unimaginably powerful helmet on his head and became the new King of the Dead. Ner'zhul and Arthas' soul fused into a powerful single being, just as Ner'zhul always intended. Illidan and his troops were forced to flee back to the Wastes in disgrace, while Arthas became one of the most powerful beings the world had ever known.
Currently, Arthas, the new and immortal King of the Dead, resides in Northrend; he is rumored to be rebuilding Icecrown Citadel. His most trusted lieutenant, Kel'Thuzad, commands the Scourge in the Plaguelands. Sylvanas and her rebellious Forsaken control only Tirisfal Glades, a small part of the war-torn kingdom.
Old Enemies - Colonization of Kalimdor
Although victory was theirs, the mortal races found themselves in a world destroyed by war. The Scourge and the Burning Legion have almost completely destroyed the civilizations of Lordaeron and have almost finished their work in Kalimdor. It was necessary to heal the forests, bury old grievances and hatreds and populate their homeland. The war deeply wounded each race, but they selflessly united to start anew, beginning with an uneasy truce between the Alliance and the Horde.
Thrall led the orcs to the center of Kalimdor, where they founded a new homeland with the help of their new tauren brothers. Calling yours New Earth Durotar, named after Thrall's murdered father, was settled by orcs to restore their once magnificent society. Now that the demonic curse had been ended, the Horde had emerged from a warlike juggernaut into a large, free society, dedicating itself to survival and prosperity rather than conquest. With the help of the noble tauren and the cunning trolls of the Darkspear tribe, Thrall and his orcs looked forward to a new era of peace in their own land.
The remaining Alliance forces, led by Jaina Proudmoore, settled in southern Kalimdor. On the eastern coast of the Dusty Swamp, they built the rugged port city of Theramore. Beyond its walls, humans and their Dwarven allies worked to survive in a land that would always be hostile to them. Although the defenders of Darotar and Theramore maintained a truce with each other, the fragile colonial idyll did not last long.
The peace between the orcs and humans was shattered by the arrival of a massive Alliance fleet in Kalimdor. A powerful fleet, under the command of Grand Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, Jaina's father, left Lordaeron before Arthas destroyed the kingdom. Traveling for long, grueling months, Admiral Proudmoore gathered together any remaining Alliance survivors he could find.
Proudmoore's Armada posed a serious threat to the stability of the region. As a famous hero of the Second War, Jaina's father was a staunch enemy of the Horde, and he was determined to destroy Darotar before the orcs completed the fortress that would become their foothold on earth.
The Grand Admiral forced Jaina to make a terrible decision: either support him in the battle against the orcs and betray his newfound allies, or fight his own father to maintain the fragile peace that the Alliance and Horde had finally achieved. After much soul-searching, Jaina chose the latter and helped Thrall defeat his crazy father. Unfortunately, Admiral Pradmoore died in battle before Jaina could convince him and prove that the orcs were no longer bloodthirsty monsters. For her loyalty, the orcs allowed Jaina's forces to return home safely to Theramore.
11-01-2020Shaman Ner-Zhul, King of the Dead
Orc clans lived on Draenor for thousands of years, worshiping their ancient gods and listening to the instructions of shamans. Neither meanness nor dishonor were known to them. However, the Burning Legion has long been eyeing these ferocious warriors, seeing in them potential bloodthirsty killers - and their future indestructible army. The insidious demon Kil-Jaeden, assistant commander of the Legion, decided to undermine orcish society from within.
Kil-Jaeden came to the most respected of the orc leaders, the elder shaman Ner-Zhul, and announced that he could give the orcs enormous strength and power over the entire world. He even offered to transfer some secret knowledge to the shaman. The payment was to be the agreement of Ner-Zhul, along with his people, to stand under the banners of the Burning Legion. The calculating shaman, consumed by a thirst for power, accepted the demon’s offer and concluded a Blood Pact with him - thereby dooming his unsuspecting people to slavery.
Over time, Kil-Jaeden discovered that Ner-Zhul lacked either the will or the nerve to carry out his plans to turn the orcs into a bloodthirsty horde. The shaman, finally realizing that the deal he had concluded would lead the orcs to death, refused to further assist the demon. Enraged by the open defiance, Kil-Jaeden vowed to punish Ner-Zhul and still get his way. He found himself a new follower who would lead the orcs away from old customs - he became Gul-dan, a student of the old shaman.
With the help of Kil-jaeden, Gul-dan succeeded where his teacher had failed. Filled with anger and a thirst for power, he not only abolished the ancient shamanic cults, replacing them with the study of the dark magic of demons, but also united the orc clans into the ever-restless Horde, which is what Kil-Jaeden sought. Ner-Zhul, powerless to stop his former student, could only watch how masterfully he turned the orcs into mindless instruments of death.
The years passed; Ner-Zhul still indulged in gloomy thoughts about the fate of the crimson world of Draenor and its people. He saw the beginning of the first orc invasion of Azeroth, and heard about the Second War between the Horde and the Lordaeron Alliance. He witnessed the betrayals and meanness that corroded his people from the inside. Although Gul-dan was the leader of the Horde on the path to a dark future, Ner-Zhul knew that in fact he alone started what was happening, and the terrible fate of the orcs was on his conscience.
Shortly after the end of the Second War, news of the defeat of the orcs reached Draenor. Ner-Zhul understood that the Horde, having failed to conquer Azeroth, did not live up to the expectations of the demons. Fearing that Kil-Jaeden and the Legion would go to take revenge on those orcs who remained on Draenor, Ner-Zhul decided to flee to escape their wrath and opened several magical portals to new worlds not desecrated by demons. The old shaman gathered all the orc clans remaining on Draenor and intended to lead them through one of the portals - towards a new destiny.
But before he could carry out his plan, an Alliance expeditionary force appeared on Draenor, sent to destroy the orcs once and for all. The clans loyal to Ner-Zhul held back the onslaught of the human army, giving the shaman the opportunity to open portals. But, having finished, Ner-Zhul realized to his horror that the violent power contained in the portals was about to tear the fabric of the world of Draenor itself to shreds.
Meanwhile, the Alliance army pushed the orcs deep into their doomed homeland. Seeing that the combatants would never be able to reach the portals in time, the frightened shaman abandoned them to their fate and fled with his minions. They stepped into the portal, and Draenor exploded and shattered into pieces. The old shaman rejoiced that he had happily escaped death... Funnily enough, he lived to see the hour in which he bitterly regretted that he had not shared the fate of his unfortunate compatriots.
Kil-Jaeden's New Deal
As soon as Ner-Zhul and his followers found themselves in the Underworld - the space connecting all the worlds scattered in the Eternal Darkness - they were immediately captured by demons. Kil-jaeden, vowing to punish Ner-zhul for his disobedience, began to torture him mercilessly, slowly tearing his body apart. But the demon kept the shaman’s spirit alive and unharmed so that he could more acutely feel the nightmarish torment of a dismembered body. No matter how much Ner-Zhul begged the demon to release his spirit and grant him death, Kil-jaeden only replied that the Blood Pact concluded between them remained in force - and that he intended to finally use his recalcitrant pawn.
Due to the defeat of the orcs on Azeroth, Kil-jaeden had to assemble a new army, designed to wreak havoc and destruction in the lands of the Alliance. But internal quarrels and strife that destroyed the Horde should not have arisen in it. This time Kil-jaeden had no room for error.
Continuing to torment the helpless spirit of the shaman, Kil-Jaeden offered him the choice of either eternal torture or a last chance to serve the Legion. And he again recklessly agreed to a deal with the demon. The spirit of Ner-Zhul was placed in a block special ice, hard as diamond, collected in the far reaches of the Underworld. Encased in magical ice, the shaman felt his consciousness expand many thousands of times. Under the influence of the demonic forces of chaos, he turned into a ghost - but immensely powerful. At that moment, the orc named Ner-Zhul ceased to exist, and the King of the Dead appeared.
Death knights and sorcerers loyal to Ner-Zhul also did not escape transformations. The forces of chaos tore the evil magicians into pieces and recreated them in the form of skeletons. According to the demons, even in death, Ner-Zhul's followers will blindly obey him.
When everything was ready, Kil-Jaeden calmly explained why he, in fact, created the King of the Dead. Ner-Zhul's mission was to spread death and horror across Azeroth - a magical plague that would destroy humanity forever. All those who die from this plague will rise as undead, and their souls will forever be subject to the will of Ner-Zhul. Kil-Jaeden even promised to provide the ill-fated Lich King with a new, healthy body if he successfully completed his terrible mission.
Although Ner-Zhul agreed to everything and seemed even glad to play his role, Kil-Jaeden still doubted the loyalty of his pawn. The ice prison and the absence of a body guaranteed his obedience for some time, but the demon understood perfectly well that the former shaman needed an eye and an eye. Therefore, he assigned a guard from the elite guard of vampire demons - the Lords of Terror - to the King of the Dead, obliging them to vigilantly and vigilantly monitor Ner-Zhul and the fulfillment of his terrible mission. Tikondrus, the most powerful and treacherous of them, was delighted with all this - and especially with how deadly the plague was: its victims would be endless.
Ice Crown and Frozen Throne
So, Kil-Jaeden threw Ner-Zhul - already in a block of ice - back to the world of Azeroth. A meteor streaked across the night sky, this ice crystal fell onto the barren Arctic continent of Northrend, buried deep in the dark labyrinths of the glacier known as Icecrown. The boulder itself, scratched and beaten by the fall, began to look like a throne - and inside this “throne” hovered the spirit of Ner-Zhul, thirsty for revenge.
Sitting in the Frozen Throne, Ner-Zhul began to gradually expand the boundaries of his grandiose consciousness and touch the consciousnesses of the indigenous inhabitants of Northrend. He enslaved many local creatures with amazing ease - for example, ice trolls and ferocious yetis. He discovered that he supernatural abilities became almost limitless - and created a small army, hiding it in the intricate labyrinths of the Ice Crown. As he amassed an army under the watchful eye of the Dreadlords, he came across a secluded human settlement on the edge of the vast Dragon Land. The King of the Dead decided to test his strength and send a plague on unsuspecting people.
So the undead-turning plague, emanating from the depths of the Frozen Throne, crawled across the icy desert. Directing the plague with just the power of his thoughts, Ner-Zhul drove it straight into the human village, and after three days there was not a single living person left there. But very little time passed, and the dead villagers began to rise - already in the form of zombies. Ner-Zhul felt their souls and thoughts as if he were his own, and this terrible cacophony in his mind seemed to give him even more strength, as if the souls were providing him with desperately needed food. Managing all the actions of zombies turned out to be a piece of cake for the King of the Dead; it was in his power to lead them to any goal.
Over the next months, Ner-Zhul continued to experiment with the witch plague, infecting all the people of Northrend with it. His army of undead was growing every day, and he felt that the time of real trials was approaching.
Spider War
Ten years have passed. All this time, Ner-Zhul was gathering an army and building a military base in Northrend, and a huge citadel now towered over Icecrown. It was garrisoned by growing legions of undead. But although the power of the King of the Dead spread further and further across the earth, underground he was opposed by an ancient, rebellious empire. Azdzol-Nerub, a kingdom founded by an eldritch race of humanoid spiders, sent its elite guard to attack Icecrown to put an end to the Lich King and his mad lust for power. To Ner-Zhul's great displeasure, it turned out that the vile warriors of Nerub were not susceptible not only to the plague, but also to its telepathic influence. The spiders had a large army and a vast network of underground tunnels, covering almost half of Northrend. Their pinprick tactics time and again frustrated all of Ner-Zhul's efforts to exterminate them.
In the end, Ner-Zhul won this war, literally overwhelming the enemy in numbers: the frantic Dread Lords and countless legions of undead soldiers burst into Azdzol-Nerub and brought down the underground temples on the heads of their inhabitants, the spider lords. Although the Nerubian warriors could not become infected with the plague, Ner-Zhul had already become such a powerful necromancer that he was able to raise the corpses of the spider warriors and bend them to his will. In memory of the tenacity and fearlessness of the spider people, Ner-Zhul adopted them architectural style. From now on, the fortresses and buildings in his lands began to resemble the buildings of spiders. Remaining the sole ruler of his kingdom, Ner-Zhul began to carry out the task for which
was sent into this world. Reaching out with his consciousness towards the human lands, the King of the Dead began to call - any dark soul that would hear him...
Kel-Thuzad and the Cult of the Damned
Several powerful magicians from this world heard the call of Ner-Zhul. Among them, the most prominent was Archmage Kel-Thuzad of Dalaran. Kel-Thuzad, one of the senior members of the Kirin Tor, ruling council Dalaran was considered a “black sheep” by his colleagues, because he devoted many years to the persistent study of forbidden magic - necromancy. He craved a comprehensive knowledge of the magic of the ghost world and its wonders, and was irritated by the outdated dogmas of his unimaginative brethren.
Hearing a powerful magical call from Northrend, the Archmage made every effort to establish communication with the mysterious voice. Firmly convinced that the Kirin Tor were too scrupulous to want to wield the power of black magic, he decided to accept the knowledge from the hands of the immensely powerful Lich King. Having abandoned his wealth, his position in society, and the moral principles of the Kirin Tor, Kel-Thuzad left Dalaran forever.
Obeying the nagging call that sounded in his head, he sold his vast lands, and then went alone to the land of eternal ice. After long weeks of travel by land and sea, the Archmage finally reached the harsh shores of Northrend. He wanted to get to Icecrown to enter the service of the King of the Dead, and his path lay through the ruins of the former war - those that remained from Azdzol-Nerub. For the first time, he was able to appreciate the extent of Ner-Zhul's power. And he began to understand that an alliance with the mysterious King of the Dead was not only a wise act, but perhaps also a useful one. After many months of traveling through the harsh icy desert, Kel-Thuzad finally reached his goal - a gloomy glacier.
Bravely approaching the gates of the dark citadel of Ner-Zhul, he was shocked: the skeleton guard silently let him through, like a long-awaited guest. Kel-Tuzad went down to the deepest layers of the glacier. There, among endless piles of ice and shadows, he prostrated himself before the Frozen Throne and offered his own soul to the Lich King.
Ner-Zhul was pleased with his new recruit. He promised Kel-Thuzad immortality and great power in exchange for his loyalty and obedience. The Supreme Mage, thirsting for dark knowledge and power, joyfully accepted Ner-Zhul's first task - to return to the human world and found a new religion there, according to which the King of the Dead would be worshiped as a god.
So that the Archmage could better cope with this task, Ner-Zhul left him human for now. A charming elderly magician had to use his powers of persuasion and skill in creating illusions to win the trust of the poor and desperate, then plant in their minds the idea of the possibility of creating a new society... and at its head would be a new king.
Kel-Thuzad returned unrecognized to Lordaeron and over the next three years, thanks to his intelligence and money, he founded a secret brotherhood of like-minded people and called it the Cult of the Damned. It promised its novices social equality and eternal life in the vastness of Azeroth if they became faithful servants of Ner-Zhul.
Over time, the number of followers of the Cult became more and more - the destitute, the poor, exhausted by overwork, came to them. Oddly enough, it turned out to be very easy to convert faith in the Good Light into faith in the dark forces of Ner-Zhul. The influence of the Cult of the Damned grew, its ranks expanded - and Kel-Thuzad made every effort to ensure that the Lordaeronian authorities did not find out about the activities of the Cult.
Scourge Plexus
Since Kel-Thuzad had done his job well, the Lich King began making final preparations for the destruction of humanity. Containing the magic of the plague in several small objects, the so-called plague cauldrons, Ner-Zhul ordered Kel-Thuzad to transport them to Lordaeron and hide them in various villages under the protection of the most trusted followers of the Cult. The cauldrons were intended to unleash a plague upon the unsuspecting villages and towns of northern Lordaeron.
